It
took me forever to watch The Artist. I mean, a modern silent movie, with a
plot screaming Singing in the Rain and a trailer that seems to give away the
whole movie?
I had zero expectations when I finally watched it and was utterly amazed.
The movie is about George
Valentin, a silent movie star who gets fired when the studios start producing
talking movies. His career is being destroyed while the one of a charming up
and comer actress is rising. The so conveniently called Peppy Miller was helped
into fame by George and to make matters worse they might be in love with each
other.
The Artist is one of
those movies that demand something from the viewers and then reward them for
it. It wasn’t so difficult to get used to the lack of sound because I actually
enjoy watching Buster Keaton’s silent movies. But for some, inferring what’s
going on only by gestures and facial expressions might be a challenge.
However, this work is necessary in order to understand what the movie is expressing. We need to
understand George’s facial expressions and gestures, because he won’t talk
about his pain, not only because it’s a silent movie but because he is proud.
By the way, how amazing
is Jean Dujardin, the actor who plays George?
He has that old days face, he is vintage handsome. He also has that positive, upbeat attitude
that is almost non-existent in today’s Hollywood stars. There’s a scene where a huge crowd is trying
to get to him – photographers, reporters, fans, cops are all around him. And he
is truly having fun, he is not faking being happy. Right after posing in a seductive
way for a photographer he breaks out laughing.
Also, look out for the
rich visual metaphors. You can do a little The Artist drinking game, everybody
drinks up every time a mirror appears on screen. They are everywhere. Not only
mirrors, but all types of reflection – the spilled water, the shadow in the
projection wall, the reflection on a window store.
They are all clues of Valentin’s disintegrated self. Because of this, it reminds me so much of The Fall. People
use stories to understand themselves better. They want self-knowledge or at
least world knowledge.
The movie is so good
that we get George’s struggles, they seem genuine, which is something I did see
in My week with Marilyn, for example.
It’s interesting to see that when movie directors want to talk about the passion for cinema they
tend to return to silent movies. They are not only paying homages to silent
movies but also learning from them. It shows that directors still have a
passion and enthusiasm for movies as if movie making had begun only a couple of
years ago.
Have you
seen the Artist? What did you think of the use of sound?
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